Definition: SVC

(1) (Switched Virtual Circuit) A network connection that is established at the time the transmission is required and disconnected when the session is completed. SVCs are normally implemented in connection-oriented systems such as the analog telephone network and ATM networks. Contrast with PVC.

(2) (Scalable Video Coding) An extension to the Advanced Video Coding (AVC) standard to accommodate rendering devices with different processing capabilities and/or degraded transmission paths. SVC allows low-resolution formats to travel as subsets alongside the high-resolution video. The subsets may eliminate frames or contain reduced frame sizes or both. Rather than display high-resolution video poorly, SVC enables lesser-quality video to flow smoothly on low-bandwidth devices and channels. See H.264.

(3) (SuperVisor Call) A mainframe instruction that passes control to the operating system.